By DAN KARELL
One year to the day after guiding Manchester City to their first Premier League title in 44 years, Roberto Mancini’s was sacked late Monday night in England.
The club released a statement on their website at 10:22pm local time which said that they have relieved Mancini of his duties because he did not achieve any of their goals that were set at the start of the season, with the exception of qualification for next year’s Champions League.
“I would like to personally and publicly thank him for his dedication to the progress that he has overseen and for his support and continued friendship,” club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in the statement.
Mancini took over the club on December 19, 2009, replacing Mark Hughes as manager. During his three and a half years at the Etihad Stadium, the Italian won the FA Cup, Premier League, and Community Shield, as well as racking up 113 wins in 191 matches.
He’ll also be remembered for his off the field problems with Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez, as well as his inability to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Mancini’s last game as Manchester City boss was in a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup Final to Wigan Athletic last Saturday.
Assistant coach Brian Kidd has been tapped to be the caretaker manager for the final two matches of the season and the post-season tour in the U.S.
Here are some more stories to get catch you up around the world:
CRYSTAL PALACE DEFEAT BRIGHTON FOR PLACE IN PLAYOFF FINAL
With a place in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium on the line, 20-year-old Wilfried Zaha stepped up for his side when it mattered.
Zaha scored twice in the second half for Crystal Palace as they took down key rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, 2-0, in Brighton on Monday night, setting up a final between Palace and Watford.
The on-loan midfielder who will join Manchester United this summer sent in a diving header from just a few yards out in the 69th minute to take a pivotal one goal lead as well as an advantage on away goals. Zaha then put the tie away when he scored his second in the 89th minute, turning and shooting with his left foot into the roof of the net past the Albion goalkeeper.
The win sets up what will be a thrilling final match at Wembley Stadium on May 27 against Watford to the north of London. Palace last played in the Premier League in 2004-2005, while Watford were last in England’s top division in 2006-2007.
WILSHERE TO UNDERGO SURGERY, MISS END OF SEASON
Arsenal have been dealt a blow as they continue their challenge for fourth place and a spot in next season’s Champions League.
The club announced on Monday night that midfielder Jack Wilshere will undergo right ankle surgery and is going to be shut down for the rest of the Premier League season. The injury also rules out Wilshere for the upcoming England national team friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil next month.
Manager Arsene Wenger made clear through a statement that the surgery is minor in it’s scope, though Wilshere just came back last August from 14 months away from the field due to injury. However the club does expect Wilshere back and ready to take part in his first full preseason since 2010.
Wilshere has made 23 Premier League appearances this season, but since suffering another ankle injury in early February, this time to the left foot, he has only played 90 minutes on two occasions.
PSG TITLE PARADE CUT SHORT BY FAN VIOLENCE
On Monday afternoon in three European cities, title parades were being held. Parades in Manchester and Barcelona went off without a hitch, but celebrations in Paris didn’t go as planned.
Celebrating Paris Saint-Germain’s first Ligue 1 title in 19 years, thousands of fans filled the streets, especially around the Place du Trocadero along the River Seine, where the team gathered to make speeches and hold the championship trophy aloft. Spectators dressed in PSG colors and jerseys reportedly climbed on loose scaffolding, forcing riot police to shoot tear gas to get them down.
Eventually the parade was halted and the players cruise in the river, which would take place after the ceremony at Place du Trocadero was cancelled. (UPDATE: PSG have released a statement on Monday’s incidents.)
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What do you make of these reports? Agree with the Mancini sacking? Think he should have been given another season? Do you see Palace returning to the Premier League? What do you make of the Wilshere injury news?
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